marvels of mediocrity

Micro Man.

I wrote this story during my high school years during the late 1980’s, years before the existence of the Internet and the famed urban legends reference site.

ALL WATCHES FIXED WHILE-U-WAIT

That’s what the sign in front of a small shop said. The small shop attracted few people until the day the town mayor came in. Then, the villagers piled up outside to watch the people inside work.

The store itself was blank, but the only eye-catching item was an empty telephone booth, which was brilliantly colored.

The fat mayor came up to the counter to a clerk, laid his wristwatch on the counter and said, “This watch needs fixing. Had it for over 15 years. It’ll be a great disappointment to lose it. Can you fix it?”

“Wal, let’s check it out. Hey, Snopes!”

Snopes entered, wearing a highly futuristic uniform. He looked at the watch, thoroughly examining it. He wound it up but it kept on making a clicking sound instead of a ticking sound. Snopes nodded. “I think there’s a spring broken. Be right back.”

Snopes exited, and then re-entered, wearing a jet suit, which consisted of a belt with rockets at the sides. He stepped into the booth, gave the clerk an ok-signal, and then waited. The clerk pressed a button which activated the lights in the booth. Then, Snopes vanished. The onlookers gasped.

“Be still, y’all. Y’all be real still now. Snopes is as small as an atom, an’ he’ll be in the watch in just a few tics,” the clerk announced.

Inside the watch, Snopes drove himself past the wheels, the gears, and the springs.

Aha! He found the problem.

The spring was disconnected. Snopes welded the spring back on and re-appeared in the shop, surrounded by thunderous applause.